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COME TOGETHER--IN LOVE!       Maria #373       DO/TS 3100       12/96
--A New Revelation Concerning Communion!--By Maria

Dear Family,
       1. I love you! I trust that you've had a happy time together during these Feast days--days of celebration, commemoration, meditation, reflection, praise and thanksgiving. Hasn't it been marvelous to look back and see all that has been accomplished since the implementation of the Charter, and since our intimate marriage to Jesus? The Lord has fulfilled His promises and heaped blessings upon blessings on us! I pray that these days have been a source of great inspiration to you, that they have reinvigorated your faith and fire, and that through the Word from the Lord and by counting your blessings, you have gained renewed strength for the battle. Each one of you is so dear to Peter and me, and we love you very much.
       2. Now as these days of Birthday/Anniversary celebration come to an end, I have a very special treat for you--the perfect way to top off such a special occasion! The Lord has already given us so much--so many words of encouragement and promises for the future. He has helped us to see how we have grown and progressed and the many victories that have been won. You have had the opportunity to reflect and pray and make a renewed commitment to the Lord and pledge your loyalty and dedication, your very life, to Him. Now we can end these special days with a time when you can make a renewed commitment to each other.
       3. Peter and I were planning to suggest that you close this year's Birthday/Anniversary celebration with communion, but I wondered if the Lord had anything to show us or anything new to tell us about communion. When we came before Him in prayer, He poured forth the following marvelous message, which I think will cause you to look at communion in a new light and will bring deeper meaning to this important ceremony. As you will read, this is a celebration of not only the Lord's death, but also His life, and our lives for the Lord as well. I believe if you will let the Lord work in your hearts, and break down any walls of disunity or hurt feelings or bitterness, the reading of this Letter and this time of communion that you will share together can be a turning point and can result in a great outpouring of the Lord's love on your lives, relationships and Homes.
       4. The Lord is showing us this new truth, this new aspect and meaning of communion, because He wants it to move us and cause us to change. He wants these Words to work in our lives and bring forth fruit. The Lord is pouring forth His truth, not just so we can be more informed, or so we can be deeper Christians from a theological point of view, but He wants these Words to be alive in our hearts and minds. He wants us to practice them, do them, live them! And if we do, He will pour down His love upon us as never before.
       5. Dear ones, please read this message of love from Jesus carefully and prayerfully. If you will ponder these Words with an open mind, and really hunger and thirst after the truth and the freedom that He wants to bring into your life, and say yes to Jesus when He asks you to humble yourself and show love, then you won't be disappointed!
       6. Now that you have the honor of partaking of this bread and wine and reading this message from Jesus, let this be the beginning of a new day of love for you and your Home! Just think, we're some of the only people on Earth who have the privilege of understanding and seeing communion in this way. Jesus has honored your commitment to Him, your willingness to love Him intimately. He knows your heart. He knows your desires. He knows that you want love to reign in your life, and He is showing you how to let His Spirit flow more freely in your thoughts and actions and interactions with one another. Reach out your hand and receive this precious gift from Jesus, which is there for you. All you have to do is believe and receive it, and love not only Him, but each other, in humility and yieldedness.

       Jesus' Communion Message!
       7. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} As oft as you do this, do this in remembrance of Me. And so, with this simple illustration, I instituted this time that we could share together--a time of gathering together for fellowship and communion and uniting of hearts.
       8. In almost every culture around the world, time together around the table is a meaningful time, a time of togetherness, a time of reunion, a time of fellowship. What better way could I have chosen to unite our hearts than this fitting illustration--the breaking of bread and the sipping of wine. I used what was set before Me, the bread and the wine, to illustrate that I am the bread of life. The bread is a symbol of My Own body broken for you, a symbol of our oneness, a symbol of My body, broken that you may be healed. And the wine is a symbol of My blood that was shed so you may live. The wine and the bread are both symbols of My salvation--salvation of spirit and salvation of body.
       9. As I have said, as oft as you do this, you do show My death till I come. I am well pleased with this positive declaration of your faith in Me. For man looks on that which he can see with his eye, and in this outward show, this little ceremony, you do witness My salvation. You, My Family, have done well in this. And now I would that you look upon this time together to not only show My death till I come, but to show My life. For I am come that you may have life, that through My death you may live life to the full.
       10. In this little ceremony of communion, I have given you many purposes. It is a time to declare all the great things that I have done for you, that you may witness My saving power, My salvation of both body and spirit. Many purposes I give--a time to renew fellowship with Me and each other, a time to confess faults, a time to give thanksgiving and sing sweet praises to Me, a time that you may claim My healing touch, and a time to unite your hearts. You have done this, My Family. In all this I am pleased.
       11. To no others on Earth have I given life so full as to My children of David--you who know Me and love Me in the most intimate of ways; you, My beloved Bride, My holy spouse, who enter into My most sacred chambers to love Me and woo Me as we commune together in the sweet lovemaking of My Spirit. For we are wed! We are one!--One in body, one in heart, one in soul, and one in mind.
       12. Therefore let your communion time now take on new meaning. For I give you, My most intimate Bride, a new dimension in our communion ceremony. As I have endowed you with this special gift of love, I would that you remember this in your united communion times together, so that it may take on a new depth, that it may be a time of declaration of your love one for another. For as you commune with Me, you also magnify your sensitivity to Me. And as you have grown and continue to grow in this intimate fellowship with Me, each one on an individual basis, know that I would that you also grow closer to each other in My love.

       13. {\b \i (Mama:)} The Lord enumerates the different purposes of the communion ceremony, when He reminds us that it's a time to: count our blessings, rejoice in the salvation of body and spirit that we have through Jesus' death, renew our fellowship with the Lord and one another, confess our sins and receive forgiveness, sing praises and give thanks, claim healing, and unite our hearts. He says we have done well when celebrating communion in these ways, and that has made Him very happy.
       14. He says that because we are willing to be His special brides, because we love Him intimately as our Husband and Lover, and we are one with Him in body, heart, soul and mind, He has rewarded us with a special gift of love--a deeper, warmer love relationship with Him. As we grow in this area, we are understanding so much more about how the Lord loves each of us unconditionally, and we are learning how to love Him more intimately through our praise and words of love. He is helping us to be much more aware of His constant loving care for us as our personal Shepherd, and we have witnessed His eagerness to not only supply our every need, but to generously spoil us as His pets. Also, He is teaching us to hear His voice and thereby be blessed to receive His personal, intimate, specific words of love, instruction, and encouragement through prophecy.
       15. Jesus wants us to live life to the full, and this gift of love is so marvelous and so priceless that He says no one on Earth is as blessed as we are! That's how valuable our personal, intimate relationship with Jesus is! However, He doesn't want our growth in love to only be in our relationship with Him--He also wants us to grow closer to each other. One of the ways He's going to help us to do that is by helping us to see communion in a different light. He wants this beautiful little ceremony to take on new meaning, new depth.

       16. {\b \i (Jesus continues:)} Therefore in this little time of refreshing together as you unite in sweet communion with Me under the dome of My forever love, look up together and breathe of My Heavenly fresh air, and let this be a time of liberation into My complete fullness of life. Let this be a time to not only declare your love and praise and thanksgiving to Me for the great and mighty works that I do toward you, but let this be a time of declaration of your love for one another, that you may freely share My love with one another.
       17. As you, My beloved spouse, grow into this new closeness, this most intimate relationship with Me, in this new day of love, I would that you now not only show My death in your remembrance of My sacrifice on the cross, but that you also show My life until I come. As I have given you a sample to follow, so follow Me. I am the Good Shepherd, I go before you. I am the Good Shepherd and I give My life for you, that you may also follow and give of yourselves to one another.
       18. Therefore, know that this communion time is a symbol of My love. It is a symbol of My life given for you, that you may in turn give your life for another. In this time of gathering to partake of My body, and to partake of My blood, remember My gift of love, that you may live in My love each and every day. As I have shed My blood for you, I would that you, My Family, shed your blood, your sweat, and your tears for each other. As My body was broken for you, I would that you give of your body to love each other.

       19. {\b \i (Mama:)} The Lord wants this to be a time when you declare your love for one another. But He doesn't intend for this to just be a sweet experience only for this moment, this one ceremony. He is counting on you to carry it over into your everyday life. The terms the Lord uses when describing this is "a time of liberation into My complete fullness of life." He said earlier that He came that we might have "life to the full." Also, He reminded us that "to no others on Earth have I given life so full as to My children of David." What is the essence of this full life He wants us to celebrate if not love?! He wants to give us love! He wants to set us free to love to the full! We are loving Him more and more, and He now wants us to be liberated so we can love each other more too.
       20. The Lord has set the sample of love in action. He is the Shepherd Who laid down His life. He went everywhere doing good, loving and caring for others. You may wonder, "But how can I follow that sample? How can I translate that into my daily interaction with others?" Below He lists many practical ways that you can let His love flow through you to enrich and brighten the lives of those around you.

       21. {\b \i (Jesus continues:)} Give your body for one another in love, in all you do throughout your days. Give, and I will give to you. Give of yourself as I gave of Myself. As I gave My life for you, I would that you daily give of your lives for one another. Give at every opportunity. Give in every way. Wherever possible and whenever possible, show love to another. Give a tender touch and a warm smile. Give a listening ear. Lend a helping hand. Do a kind deed for another. Say a silent prayer. Speak a word fitly spoken. Go out of your way to help another. Stoop to lift a brother when he falls.
       22. Give when it's difficult to give. Give when it hurts to give. Give of your time. Give of yourself. Give freely. Show patience to those who feel frustrated. Show compassion to those who are in need of understanding. Give a hug and a warm embrace to those who are in need of affection. Yield your body wholly to Me that I might live and love through you. Be My arms, be My hands, be My lips, that I may love another through you.
       23. Be ready at all times to give of yourself. Work together. Weep together. Laugh together. Enjoy together. Have fun together. Encourage one another. Put your arms around your brothers and sisters and comfort one another. Pray together. Trust together. Fight together. Unite together. Hold on together. Rise up together. March on together.
       24. Love without partiality. Love the unlovely. Let your love for one another bear all things, and believe all things good toward one another. Let your love for one another be such that it never loses hope. Love one another always, and walk a mile in another's shoes. Go to any length. Suffer any agony. Make any sacrifice that another may know My love through you.

       25. {\b \i (Mama:)} Those are such good practical tips! Now the thing to do is break out of old ruts and bad habits and take the initiative to put them into practice. The Lord knows how difficult it can be to make a big change in your behavior or relations with one another, so He's trying to make it easy for you by making this communion a very special time, a turning point. He wants to give you an opportunity today to get rid of any hurt feelings, renew your unity, and have a fresh start. As you read the following paragraphs, please pay special attention to the instructions the Lord gives you, as He wants to add some variety to this ceremony that you are so familiar with. In order to make it easier for you, He even gives you a little "script" of what you can say to each other. He thinks of everything, doesn't He? Thank You, Jesus, for being so sweet!

       26. {\b \i (Jesus continues:)} When you gather to celebrate My communion of love, let it be a time of commitment to Me and to each other. Let it be a time to pray together, renew your unity, and to think and reflect and make this declaration of love. For as My body was broken that you may know My healing touch, and My blood was shed that you may be born again to life eternal, so both My body and My blood were given that you may know My love and live in love and love one another as I have loved you.
       27. Therefore, remember this when you gather together in sweet communion, that this may always be a time of uniting and communing with Me and with each other. For if any man says he loves Me, then let him show love for others.
       28. Let this be a time, therefore, to look deep into your neighbor's eyes and say, "I love you and I thank Jesus for you. By God's grace, I give my life for you. By God's grace, I will die daily for you each and every day of the year. For we are one; all one body we--one in hope, one in doctrine, one in unity. I love you with God's love, and I would never ever purposely do anything to hurt you."

       29. {\b \i (Mama:) }It would make me so happy if you would take the time during this communion to do what the Lord suggests in the above paragraph. Don't just read this and forget about it, but please do your best to do what He says: Look into your brethren's eyes and say the little pledge of love to each other. You don't have to do so this minute. In fact, it would be better if you finish reading the entire Letter, and then afterwards partake of the bread and wine and have this little love feast with the Lord and each other.
       30. If you can just make it through the initial awkwardness and say those words that don't come easily; if you can put your arms around your brother or sister and appreciate him or her; if you can love one another, forgive others for any way you've been hurt, and forget about the things that have seemed unjust or unfair, you will be greatly rewarded! Look at each other with new eyes of love and expectancy and appreciation, and remember that each one of your brothers and sisters, your friends, your mate, your children, your shepherds, love Jesus. They are so precious to Him. Please, won't you love them with His love?
       31. You might be wondering how you can muster up enough love to honestly say this little pledge to each other, or to put into practice the practical suggestions the Lord gives in paragraphs 21-24. You probably feel quite insufficient in yourselves, as I do, because you know your natural tendency is to be selfish and unloving. Therefore, you may even doubt that it's possible to love in this way. If that's the case, then remember that it's the Lord loving others through you. It's Jesus in you that will be sufficient. As you make yourself available to love others with His love, if you're willing to be Jesus for others, then He'll do it through you! It's not a work of the flesh, but of His Spirit, and what He asks of you is your obedience, desperation and willingness to step out by faith to love! He will do the rest, and pour out His love to encourage, refresh and lift up others.

       32. {\b \i (Jesus continues:)} As you do this, know that I will pour down My strength as never before. Let this time of sweet communion be a time of liberation: liberation from fear of loving one another; liberation from fear of total commitment; liberation from selfish living; liberation from all that would hold you back from loving; liberation into My freedom and fullness of life--that you may live My love to the full.
       33. Therefore dedicate yourselves in this communion ceremony and follow My sample of love. For as I gave My life for you, as My blood was shed and My body was broken, so I leave with you a sample that you may follow. Give of yourselves to one another at every opportunity, and in this you will find strength that you know not of.
       34. In your times of communion, remind yourselves of your love, not only for Me, but for one another, and walk away only to live in love. For I would that you carry the communion of My love in your heart at all times, as you show My life until I come. In this, comfort one another.
       35. You need not be bound to a certain ceremony or a certain format week in and week out, for I love all your ways of loving Me in your sweet communion times together, as you unite and remember Me. Just do all things in love and walk in love. Remember Me as I remember you. Stay close to Me, for I am close to you. As you partake of the bread and the wine, in remembrance of Me, remind yourselves of your love for each other. Believe in Me. Believe that I will do all that I promised in all My Words to you.
       36. As you do this, I will pour out My power in greater measure, that you may be filled with My power of love to celebrate My life in all its fullness! By this all men may know that you are My disciples, not only in word, but in deed and in truth--you, My children of David, who know My love and live in My love to the full. This do in remembrance of Me. Love one another and live in My love. (End of message from Jesus.)

       37. {\b \i (Mama:)} As if the reward of having greater love were not enough, the Lord also attaches some other wonderful promises to this message. If we're willing to humble ourselves before each other and do the things the Lord asks of each of us in this message, not only will we find greater freedom to live His love to the full, but we'll also find greater strength. He promises if we will look deep into our brethren's eyes and do the humble thing by putting into words how much we love and care for them, He will pour down His strength as never before. He said if we will give of ourselves to each other at every opportunity, we will find strength that we know not of. And finally, He promises that as we walk in love, do all things in love, remind ourselves of our love for each other, and stay close to the Lord, He will pour out His power in greater measure, so we'll be filled with His power of love and be able to celebrate His life in all its fullness. This will be such a testimony of His love that everyone will know that we are His disciples. Thank You Jesus!
       38. The Lord has given us a treasure in this message. We are so blessed to know such secrets of His Kingdom and His ways. And to top off this amazing gift from the Lord, when we were praying about how to present this message to you, we were thrilled when the Lord had Dad speak to us and share some very sweet personal comments.

       Dad's Lessons of Love!
       39. {\b \i (Dad speaking:)} Oh, my dear Family, if you could just see each other as the Lord sees you, it would make such a difference. It would be so much easier to love one another, to yield to one another, and to serve one another. Every single one of you is so important to Jesus, so needed, so valuable to the Family and to His Kingdom. It's sad that you look at each other with such partiality, such preconceived ideas, and with such a narrow vision. You look at some people as being so important, so popular, so famous, so gifted; and you look at others as being so ordinary, or worse yet, as being weights and bothers and problems. But each of you is so precious to the Lord. He loves you as His new Bride. He's madly in love with you, each of you, and He loves you as an only child, as if you were the only one He had to care for and dote upon and spoil with His gifts and blessings.
       40. When I was with you on Earth, I knew that every Family member was precious and valuable. I knew that each one was one in a million, called and chosen by the Lord--every adult, every young person and every baby. I knew that you had a special calling, a high calling of God that few people in the whole world have the blessing of experiencing. I thought I understood all that. I thought I understood how important and needed and valuable you are, each of you. But when I came to the other side, I saw this so much more clearly. I saw the depth of the Lord's love for each of you. I saw the attention He gives to every detail of your life, and His great, great desire to see you happy. I finally understood what it means that He loves you--just you--and that He died for you--just you. He would have died for you if you had been the only one. That's how much He loves you.
       41. When I came to Heaven and saw the Lord's love and devotion and respect for each of you, it put me to shame. I saw how much more love and appreciation I could have given to my loved ones. I saw how much more I could have been a tool in the Lord's hands, a vessel of His love to lighten the load of those around me, to encourage them when they were down, to whisper His sweet words of faith and encouragement when they were in need, to show tenderness and tolerance to the weaknesses of others. Yes, I learned really big lessons about love. Even in the areas that I thought I understood, the Lord opened my eyes and I saw so much more clearly the value and the importance of love.
       42. He said, "By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another." We should have seen from that one simple verse, we should have perceived, we should have been able to understand the tremendous importance and power of love! But so many things stand in our way, so many things hold us back from loving as He would like us to--our pride, our shyness, our fear of what others will think of us, the religious upbringing of some, our thinking we don't have time, our being satisfied with our immediate relationships and not wanting to reach out to others in need, or the fear that our advances will not be met favorably, but that we will be rejected and turned away and not appreciated. Oh, there are so many ways that we guard our hearts and hold back and don't give the love that we want to.
       43. I understand. I know how difficult it is. Because even as free as I was, even as much love as I gave, when I came Home to my Heavenly reward, I saw and learned that I could have given so much more. I could have lived in love so much more. I could have been Jesus so much more.
       44. Please, dear children, don't miss this opportunity to let the Lord love through you! Time is short. Like the old song we used to sing, "Love your brother while he's still around." Love your brother while you have the opportunity! Do it! Be Jesus today! Don't miss your chance! Don't let pride or fear stand in your way! Everybody needs so much love, and the Lord has so much to give.
       45. The love of God--the sweet, warm, compassionate love of Jesus--is the lifeblood of the Revolution! I've always believed that. I've always preached it, and I want to help you learn to live it more and more with each passing day.
       46. Please humble yourself and do what the Lord asks. Look into each other's eyes and say, "I love you and I thank Jesus for you. By the grace of God, I give my life for you. By the grace of God, I will die daily for you each and every day of the year. For we are one; all one body we--one in hope, one in doctrine, one in unity. I love you with God's love, and I would never ever purposely do anything to hurt you." This is your pledge of love to one another.
       47. Reach out with real emotion. Break down the walls. Let go of your pride and let the Spirit of the Lord flow through you like an electrical current, bringing warmth and light and life. Hold each other, weep, forgive each other, and let this be the beginning of a new day of love. Take it from me, kids, from someone who knows, from someone who has seen the love of Jesus. It gushes! It oozes! It overflows! It's without end! It's hot and passionate! It moves and changes and reaches out. It sees the need and jumps to the call. It's not cool or lukewarm, but it's hot! It's powerful!
       48. The power of nature that you see unleashed in natural phenomena like earthquakes or volcanoes or tidal waves or tornadoes, all that power is nothing in comparison to the power of the love of God! You have that power inside you, but you just have to let it go by pouring it out and giving it to someone in need. You just have to unleash the power of love in your life, and you'll see it work for you and your loved ones and your Home. It'll bring you happiness and unity. Laughter will return to your Home, and you'll enjoy serving the Lord together. You'll miss each other when you're apart, and you'll look forward to the times when you can be together.
       49. As I said, I learned lots of lessons about love when I came to Heaven, and Mama has learned so much about love since my Homegoing. But there's still so much more to learn, so much more love to live and experience. So as you now take this bread and this wine, and as you do this in remembrance of His life, and the life of love that He's given you, and you make a pledge of love, not only to the Lord but to each other, please let this be a new beginning. Don't let it end here with this little meeting, this little ceremony, but carry on, tonight, tomorrow, the next day, next week, next month, with your new life of love. Grow in love, live love, overflow with love, and the world will know that you are His disciples, because you have love for one another.
       50. I love you! Mama and Peter love you! Please love each other! God bless and keep you a loving Family of love, the Lord's lovers, known for the love that you give to each other and to His sheep. I am still your father and king and shepherd, and I, too, am learning to love more and more each day, by God's grace. Love, Dad. (End of message from Dad.)

       51. {\b \i (Mama:)} Thank you, Sweetheart. You're always so humble and willing to share your lessons, so we can all learn from them. You were a constant, unchanging, wonderful example of the Lord's love to me, and you still are! You are Jesus to me, and you always have been, so I'm sure if you say you can improve in this area, in learning to love more, then we all can! I love you, my darling. Thank you for the good lessons, and thank you for doing the humble thing and sharing them with us. Now we'll try to do the humble thing, too, by taking your good advice and living it!
       52. I love you, too, my dearest Family. God bless and keep you humble, loving and close to Jesus! And you can start now, as you partake of communion and enjoy your love feast with the Lord and each other. We have a wonderful year ahead of us, so let's do all we can to love! Praise the Lord!
       Much love always, Mama

       
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